Clendenen: It’s time to kick high alcohol out of bed

Winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat has spoken of the need for California producers keen to make elegant wines to “kick high alcohol out of bed”.

Jim Clendenen

Speaking during a seminar on California Chardonnay chaired by Jancis Robinson MW at In Pursuit of Balance’s inaugural London tasting, Clendenen said: “Kicking alcohol out of bed is a clever thing to do when making an elegant wine.

“You don’t need high alcohol in order to achieve richness and concentration in Chardonnay. You need to get all the elements in the vineyard right.

“Au Bon Climat Chardonnay started out as an opulent and decadent wine and over the years my desire for balance has worked it down to something more elegant.

“I’ve always used one-third new French oak from the beginning. I’m as serious about my barrel investment as I am about my grapes. Slow fermentation in barrel and contact with the lees is what it’s all about for me.”

Also speaking during the tasting was Jeffrey Peterson of Mount Eden, which produced its first vintage in 1946 and has the oldest Chardonnay vines in America.

Like Clendenen, Peterson is equally passionate about the importance of oak in producing “grand cru” level California Chardonnay.

“I believe in new barrels and use a lot of them. I’m going for grand cru levels of quality and want my Chardonnays to age for 25 years, and oak tannin helps with the ageing cycle,” he said.

On the subject of terroir, Clendenen isn’t keen on it becoming the overriding influence in the wine. “I want terroir to be distinctive and available in the profile of my wines but I don’t want it to dominate,” he said.

He also spoke of the Chardonnay’s unfashionable image in the ‘70s. “If you weren’t doing well as a cattle farmer then you were advised to grow grapes. People were buying grapes at cheap prices, which didn’t encourage quality farming.

“Chardonnay used to be considered the cocktail hour wine to keep women away from Martinis,” he joked.